Last Modified: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 7:11 p.m.

Facts

ONLINE DOCUMENT

Facts

GETTING PERSONAL

The dispute between City Manager Tom Barwin and American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Michael Barfield got personal Tuesday at a news conference held by the ACLU.

Barfield called Barwin out for leading a “war on the homeless” that he says has crossed the lines of legality.

Barwin in turn challenged the ACLU to raise $500,000 next year to help the homeless. Barwin also said if the ACLU sues the city again over its response to homelessness, the organizations should put its legal fees toward helping people on the streets.

Barfield would not comment at the conference about further litigation against the city.

“We'll see about that,” Barwin said.

The city manager said that Barfield regularly goes on “fishing expeditions” into city records, exploits an incident as indicative of a pattern, then sues the city and collects legal fees. Barwin said that Barfield has a history of misrepresenting the truth and pointed to a previous perjury conviction.

“We take the information from that source with a grain of salt,” Barwin said.

That's what two Sarasota police officers jokingly called each other when talking about dealing with homeless people in the city, according to documents of police computer messages the American Civil Liberty Union released Tuesday.

Those messages were the centerpiece of a news conference the ACLU held outside City Hall to chide Sarasota for what the group deemed its “war on the homeless.”

City officials deny any such war on the homeless exists, and point out several services Sarasota offers to help the homeless.

Michael Barfield, legal chairman of the local ACLU chapter, argued that the direction from City Hall has fostered harassment of the homeless. The organization is embroiled in a class-action lawsuit it filed against the city in April, claiming Sarasota used the trespass ordinance to single out homeless people.

Barfield said the “juvenile” electronic messages show police do not respect the dignity and rights of the city's most needy and he asked for the department to discipline the officers and hold sensitivity training.

“If true, it'll be investigated. It's not conduct we condone,” Sutton said of the “bum hunters” comment.

Sutton brought a stack of his own documents to the news conference. They listed homeless statistics from 2004 to the present, including how many times officers have referred homeless people who were intoxicated to social services rather than arrest them — 946 — or connected people with mental heath issues with such help — 470.

“We arrest on conduct, not on social status,” Sutton said.

Since August, city commissioners have asked police for downtown vagrancy reports around Five Points Park, which was the center of controversy last year when the city removed park benches where homeless people often slept.

Commissioners also asked police to report arrests linked to the homeless at “hot spots” in the past couple of months.

One of Sarasota's homeless strayed from his “office” — the green bench on First Street where Tuesday's newspaper sat beside a filled backpack — to attend the news conference a half-block away.

After local advocates and ACLU members spoke, James Franklin Jr. raised his hand.

“What about those of us who are able to go to work but can't find work — and they call us bums?” asked Franklin, 54, who said he has lived in Sarasota his whole life and ended up homeless five years ago.

His question seemed aimed at the entire group gathered to watch as the city's troubles with the homeless continue to unfurl — a topic that returned to the forefront after a sergeant arrested a homeless man on Nov. 11 for charging his cellphone at Gillespie Park.

No one offered Franklin a straight answer.

The majority of officers are great, ACLU speakers and former Sarasota mayor Richard Martin were quick to point out during Tuesday's gathering.

Martin stepped up to the microphones after the ACLU and said he was not happy to be there.

He has worked on the issue in Sarasota for more than a decade and says the city still is not listening to the needs of the homeless, despite having the resources for change — wealth, business knowledge and grass-roots efforts.

Martin was previously executive director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, an organization that was supposed to pull the pieces together.

Instead, it was “defunded,” he said.

City Manager Tom Barwin, who also attended the news conference, has said Suncoast's funding is one of many things he is looking into as he tries to evaluate the situation.

Barwin said the idea of the city waging a war on the homeless is ludicrous. Rather, Sarasota's large safety net and wealth of services likely draw homeless to the area, he said.

But the city manager said that if police officers are acting inappropriately Sarasota will not ignore it.

“If there is an individual who is communicating, thinking, behaving in that manner then certainly that is something that needs to be addressed,” he said.

Franklin, the homeless man who spends his days sitting outside City Hall, says he knows Barwin, who started as city manager in early September. They wave to one another as Barwin leaves his office and walks past Franklin's.

“He's doing the best he can,” Franklin said. “But he came into a tough situation.”

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Bum Hunters.</p><div class="art_item art_item_inset art_item_facts">
<h3>Facts</h3>
<h4>GETTING PERSONAL</h4>
<p>The dispute between City Manager Tom Barwin and American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Michael Barfield got personal Tuesday at a news conference held by the ACLU.<br><br>Barfield called Barwin out for leading a “war on the homeless” that he says has crossed the lines of legality.<br><br>Barwin in turn challenged the ACLU to raise $500,000 next year to help the homeless. Barwin also said if the ACLU sues the city again over its response to homelessness, the organizations should put its legal fees toward helping people on the streets.<br><br>Barfield would not comment at the conference about further litigation against the city.<br><br>“We'll see about that,” Barwin said.<br><br>The city manager said that Barfield regularly goes on “fishing expeditions” into city records, exploits an incident as indicative of a pattern, then sues the city and collects legal fees. Barwin said that Barfield has a history of misrepresenting the truth and pointed to a previous perjury conviction.<br><br>“We take the information from that source with a grain of salt,” Barwin said.</p>
</div>
<p>That's what two Sarasota police officers jokingly called each other when talking about dealing with homeless people in the city, according to documents of police computer messages the American Civil Liberty Union released Tuesday.</p><p><A HREF="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/525062-police-messages.html#document/p1/a82332" target="_blank">“Im the bum hunter tonight son!!” one officer stated</a>.</p><p>“Ur a nerd and gonna get beat up by a bum when wake up,” an officer responded.</p><p>Later, the officer joked about playing a prank on “bum hunters” by <A HREF="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/525062-police-messages.html#document/p2/a82331" target="_blank">dressing up as a “bum” in a wig, camo jacket and carrying a bottle of rum</a>.</p><p>Those messages were the centerpiece of a news conference the ACLU held outside City Hall to chide Sarasota for what the group deemed its “war on the homeless.”</p><p>City officials deny any such war on the homeless exists, and point out several services Sarasota offers to help the homeless.</p><p>Michael Barfield, legal chairman of the local ACLU chapter, argued that the direction from City Hall has fostered harassment of the homeless. The organization is embroiled in a class-action lawsuit it filed against the city in April, claiming Sarasota used the trespass ordinance to single out homeless people.</p><p>Barfield said the “juvenile” electronic messages show police do not respect the dignity and rights of the city's most needy and he asked for the department to discipline the officers and hold sensitivity training.</p><p>Police Capt. Paul Sutton watched as Barfield read off parts of police messages.</p><p>“If true, it'll be investigated. It's not conduct we condone,” Sutton said of the “bum hunters” comment.</p><p>Sutton brought a stack of his own documents to the news conference. They listed homeless statistics from 2004 to the present, including how many times officers have referred homeless people who were intoxicated to social services rather than arrest them — 946 — or connected people with mental heath issues with such help — 470. </p><p>“We arrest on conduct, not on social status,” Sutton said.</p><p>Since August, city commissioners have asked police for downtown vagrancy reports around Five Points Park, which was the center of controversy last year when the city removed park benches where homeless people often slept.</p><p>Commissioners also asked police to report arrests linked to the homeless at “hot spots” in the past couple of months.</p><p>One of Sarasota's homeless strayed from his “office” — the green bench on First Street where Tuesday's newspaper sat beside a filled backpack — to attend the news conference a half-block away.</p><p>After local advocates and ACLU members spoke, James Franklin Jr. raised his hand.</p><p>“What about those of us who are able to go to work but can't find work — and they call us bums?” asked Franklin, 54, who said he has lived in Sarasota his whole life and ended up homeless five years ago. </p><p>His question seemed aimed at the entire group gathered to watch as the city's troubles with the homeless continue to unfurl — a topic that returned to the forefront after a sergeant arrested a homeless man on Nov. 11 for charging his cellphone at Gillespie Park.</p><p>No one offered Franklin a straight answer.</p><p>The majority of officers are great, ACLU speakers and former Sarasota mayor Richard Martin were quick to point out during Tuesday's gathering.</p><p>Martin stepped up to the microphones after the ACLU and said he was not happy to be there.</p><p>He has worked on the issue in Sarasota for more than a decade and says the city still is not listening to the needs of the homeless, despite having the resources for change — wealth, business knowledge and grass-roots efforts.</p><p>Martin was previously executive director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, an organization that was supposed to pull the pieces together. </p><p>Instead, it was “defunded,” he said.</p><p>City Manager Tom Barwin, who also attended the news conference, has said Suncoast's funding is one of many things he is looking into as he tries to evaluate the situation.</p><p>Barwin said the idea of the city waging a war on the homeless is ludicrous. Rather, Sarasota's large safety net and wealth of services likely draw homeless to the area, he said.</p><p>But the city manager said that if police officers are acting inappropriately Sarasota will not ignore it.</p><p>“If there is an individual who is communicating, thinking, behaving in that manner then certainly that is something that needs to be addressed,” he said.</p><p>Franklin, the homeless man who spends his days sitting outside City Hall, says he knows Barwin, who started as city manager in early September. They wave to one another as Barwin leaves his office and walks past Franklin's.</p><p>“He's doing the best he can,” Franklin said. “But he came into a tough situation.”</p>